I assented eagerly, for I had begun to feel decidedly hungry. She again gave some orders to the person outside, who, by and by, brought I know not what delicate preparation of milk. I took all that was given me, and would gladly have had more. From that hour my recovery was rapid, and I was soon able to walk about the room, which was a large one with several beds, and was, indeed, the infirmary for the pupils. Then I was allowed to walk in the gallery, and so, by degrees, I took my place in the family, and began to understand somewhat of its constitution and politics. Dartford nunnery was a place of no little consequence in my time, having some twenty professed nuns besides the prioress and other needful officers, such as sacristan, mother assistant and mistress of novices. It was a wealthy foundation, owning, besides its fair home domain, other wide fields and orchards which brought in a good revenue. Most, if not all of the sisters were ladies of family and breeding. The house had a good reputation for sanctity, and certainly there were no scandals in my time, or at least so I think, and I was always sufficiently sharp-sighted. When I was able to walk about and see my new home, which was not till cold weather, I had to confess that it was a fair one. The garden was very large and contained many fine fruit trees, apples, plums, and cherries, besides great grape vines and apricots, trained in curious fashion against the south wall. The house had been founded in 1371, and it was said, though I doubt it, that a part of the first fabric was still standing in my time. Any how some of the building was very old, and it had been added to as convenience dictated, till there was no regularity to it; yet the material being the same throughout, and the walls much overgrown with ivy, there subsisted a certain harmony in the parts which was pleasing to the eye. The church was a fine one and contained some valuable relics, such as Mary Magdalene's girdle—she must have had a good many girdles in her time—a bottle containing some smoke from the Virgin's fire, and a glass of St. Anne's tears, * with others which I don't now remember, all inclosed in rich reliquaries and boxes, or highly ornamented shrines. They were exposed in the church on feast days for the adoration of the faithful. * All these relics are authentic, and may be found in Leighton's list contained in his letters. But the faithful were not so much disposed to adore as in times past. The leaven of incredulity was spreading among the poor, and the new Learning, as it was called, among the rich. It was understood that the king himself had his doubts about such matters; he was at drawn daggers with the pope about his divorce; the great cardinal was in disgrace and likely to lose all his preferments, and nobody knew what was likely to come next.